Forming "composite breeds" to gain a market edge, opinions wanted

[rittert3]

I have figured out a 3 breed meat cross that would give me an edge on my local market. I don't know as it would be so much a composite breed but might go that route later on if the demand was there. Dose anybody have any opinions on crossing certain breeds to gain an edge on local market? Also one of the breeds is savanah which are unheard of in my local would it be smart to procure a couple does to market pure savanah as well?

 

[20kidsonhill]

We have been doing some work with boer/nubian for meat goats, They do pretty well. I don't now if we have an edge, the boer still seem to be selling the best.

 

[chels24]

I have a Savanna buck and last year I bred him to my Nubians for a meat and milk cross. I don't know how the wethers will sell though since this year I only got does. This fall I plan on breeding him to Nubian and Boer does. The Savanna has excellent work tolerance (never been de-wormed) and only needs his hooves trimmed once a year. I'm hoping that the Savanna x Boer cross will give me nice meat goats with more worm tolerance and less hoof trimming. Savanna's are also rare in my area and a lot of people think they are a milk goat. My worry is when I sell my wethers the buyers will think they are milk goats also since they don't have the "boer look" ( white body red head.
Savanna's are a great breed though and in my opinion are an excellent investment. They typically cost more to buy, but you save A LOT of money in the long run because they are so hardy.

 

[rittert3]

Well as long as nobody local steals my idea, lol... I want to form a heard of 5/8 boer 3/8 Nubian Nannys, then breed them to savannah bucks, resulting in 1/2 Savanah, 5/16 Boer, 3/16 Nubian Kids. In my mind that cross should produce top of the line meat kids. I agree that boer sell about the best which is part of the reason why I want them in my cross, The reason for the nubian is that I like the way they cross with boer better than spanish or lamancha and I want them in my herd as nurser nannys and to produce milk for the table and hog feed. Now the savannah is unheard of here nobody ever knows what they are and I think this is the only reason why they arn't better selling than the boer, and I'm not saying at all that boer are bad meat goats I just think that the savannah has a couple edges over them.

 

[rollingmeadow]

What is your market? Auction house, slaughter house, distribution, direct sales? Live market, packaged meat? Ethnic market?

I'm researching all this myself trying to figure out which kind of market to "breed to". I'm curious about how others are marketing and the different kinds of markets out there.

 

[rittert3]

I work a local auction which sells to large order buyers who ship to slaughter houses in Pennsylvania. But I also want to raise some of my own replacement does and possibly sell some for local 4h projects.

My long term goal is to have 120 3/8 Nubian 5/8 Boer Does running with savannah bucks, a couple savannah does just to keep pure bloodlines on hand, as well as a handfull of nubian does to use as nurser nannies and to through milk to a couple feeder hogs for the freezer. I want to beable to handle a breeding herd of 130-140 head and sell kids at 90 days.

 

[crazyturkeydesigns]

What is your market? Auction house, slaughter house, distribution, direct sales? Live market, packaged meat? Ethnic market?

I'm researching all this myself trying to figure out which kind of market to "breed to". I'm curious about how others are marketing and the different kinds of markets out there.

This is the kicker question, so it's good you have this figured out.
I don't have goats anymore (never did meat goats, but raised alpines for a while), but around here people cross just about everything to get a better meat animal. I know with the rabbits there's a number of crosses to produce what is essentially a fast maturing meat brick because that's what people around here want. More efficient feed conversion, less cost, more meat. It's almost a science lol!
Good luck with your goats!

 

[rittert3]

I have found that in a way with meat goats less is more. The bigger they get the less value each added pound will have. A 1 week old kid will have the most demand and go for way more a pound than a weaned kid. The best weight, I've been told, to sell at is about 65lbs. It seems that the per pound value drops off around 75-80lbs. So if you sell at 60-65lbs you are getting more bang for your buck but not nessicarily producing the highest quality product you can. It dosn't make a whole lot of since to me but it seems that is the way it works. Similar to the difference between veal and an old grissly bull I guess. The calf may way 110lbs and bring $5/lb and the bull weigh 2200lbs and only bring .80/lb but most of us opt to eat the yearling cattle that are around 1000lbs and about $1.50/lb. It's weird math and takes some studying to understand.

 

[rittert3]

I come to the conclusion that I will settle for a savannah buck in my stated breeding plan that carries up to 1/8 spanish blood from his maternal side, changing up the heritage ratio a bit.

 

[Roll farms]

If you want to sell any to 4-H kids, you would need to see what the requirements are in 4-H.

Some counties / states have "Market wethers" which can be anything, and they are judged on meatiness, loin length, overall composition (not posty, no overbite, etc.).
(The best way, IMHO - judge the animal for it's MEAT)

Some counties, like mine, only have "Boer wether" classes, in which anything that does not LOOK Boer, will come in dead last, even if it's a superior animal.
So if you have a SxBxN kid who isn't white w/ a red head, but may be bigger / have more meat than the boers in his class, he could still lose b/c he's NOT a "boer".

(Sort of like putting a beautiful, smart mutt in a dog show full of pampered Purebreds...if they want purebreds, the mutt will still come in dead last.)

I've been crossing meat / dairy goats for a long time. For market, yes, your crosses will 'do' better.
For 4-H, at least in my area, PB are best.
For replacement / breeding stock, most folks want PB / FB something....

As far as I know, I was one of the 1st people in IN to own Kikos. I wanted to create an awesome cross that was hardy and populate the world w/ them....I could barely give them away locally. They didn't "look" boer and my market is mainly 4-H / breeding stock.
Even though the kiko and kiko x "did" better for me, as far as growth, parasite resistance, etc....I cut back on them and got more boer b/c I had to cater to my market, not a market I read about in Goat Rancher that didn't apply to my area.

My first question when Newbies call me wanting to get into goats is "What do you want to DO with them." b/c I can sell pb, fb, 50/50 - meat or dairy...